The Atlanta Board of Education will take action on Monday, March 4 to rename Atlanta Public Schools’ (APS) central office building from the Center for Learning and Leadership to The Alonzo A. Crim Center for Leaning and Leadership. The renaming is in honor of Dr. Alonzo A. Crim, the school district’s first African-American Superintendent and one of the first African-American superintendents of a large southern school district.
In 1973, Dr. Crim became Superintendent of APS and served in that role for 15 years. His belief in a “Community of Believers” is a philosophy that required excellence in the education of those typically least well-served by the larger society. His influence was instrumental in helping to strengthen the foundation for urban education in the nation. He encouraged individuals and organizations to not only believe in the potential of children, but to invest in that potential and to focus on ensuring the education of all of Atlanta’s children.
Dr. Crim later served as the Professor of Education at Georgia State University and established the Chair of the Benjamin E. Mays Professor of Urban Leadership. Dr. Crim’s legacy continues today through the activities of the Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence at Georgia State University’s College of Education & Human Development.
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